Overview

• Captain Dale Sprague and first mate Matt Hamilton were haddock fishing off the Isles of Shoals on Tuesday when two humpbacks surfaced and breached next to their boat.
• Exclusive video published by local outlets shows a whale passing directly under the vessel after both animals breached close by.
• Accounts place the encounter roughly 6 to 8 miles offshore in most reports, while the Boston Globe cites an initial distance of 17 miles and a closest approach of about 40 feet.
• The fishermen quickly reeled in their lines, moved away and grabbed life jackets; they reported being rattled but uninjured and said they plan to keep fishing.
• Ashley Stokes of Marine Mammal Conservation described breaching as rare and often related to play or parasite removal, and coverage noted a similar close-call incident in Portsmouth Harbor last July that caused no serious injuries.